Story summary
Christa Pike, 50, is set to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday in Tennessee, marking the first time a woman will be put to death in the state in over 200 years. Pike was convicted of murdering Colleen Slemmer, her 19-year-old classmate at Knoxville Job Corps, in January 1995 when she herself was only 18. Prosecutors claimed Pike feared Slemmer as a romantic rival and tortured and killed her alongside her boyfriend.
Pike’s attorneys argue that the death penalty is inappropriate given Pike's troubled childhood of sexual abuse and neglect, which they claim would influence a modern jury to not sentence her to death. However, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has denied Pike’s request for clemency, stating he will uphold the state's sentence.
Slemmer's mother supports the execution after waiting decades for justice. The case garnered significant public attention due to its brutality and because of satanic symbols carved into Slemmer's body. As of now, only 18 women have been executed in the U.S. since the 1970s compared to 1,663 men. Pike’s legal team is still seeking a last-minute reprieve from the Supreme Court due to her PTSD and concerns over psychological trauma during execution.
Written for “Tennessee Woman Execution” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 133 other(s) covering the same event.
Tennessee has failed in its attempt to execute Christa Pike, who survived and was rushed to hospital late on Wednesday despite being administered two doses of a lethal drug.
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who → fail → drug
Pike was due to be the first woman put to death in the state in 200 years, after a court overturned a late stay of execution.
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court → put → execution
Experts say her survival is unprecedented.
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survival → say → ?
The attempted execution took place at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville at about 8pm local time.
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execution → attempt → pm
Pike, 50, was being executed for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student she tortured and killed when she was 18.
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she → execute → Slemmer
Officials administered pentobarbital to Pike twice, and witnesses reported the curtain to the execution chamber was drawn and reopened on two separate occasions as the procedure continued.
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procedure → administer → occasions
The execution had already been delayed for hours after a panel of the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay to allow further review of her legal challenges.
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panel → delay → challenges
The US Supreme Court later lifted that stay at Tennessee's request in a 6-3 decision, allowing the execution to proceed before Pike's death warrant expired at midnight.
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warrant → lift → midnight
Tennessee governor halts all executions after failed attempt
Tennessee governor Bill Lee said in a statement that he had ordered “a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred” and the remaining scheduled execution would not take place this year.
“Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective,” he said.
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he → halt → manner
Pike's legal team say she was put through 'unnecessary agony'
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she → say → agony
While the execution was under way, Pike's legal team filed an emergency motion in the Tennessee Supreme Court to immediately stop the process, saying that after receiving the two doses she was still alive and experiencing "unnecessary agony”.
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she → file → agony
They said the prolonged nature of the attempt had caused her "superadded physical and mental suffering".
"
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nature → say → suffering
Ms Pike has lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring."
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Pike → lose → heartbeat
Pike spoke what she thought would be last words: 'I'm at peace'
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I → speak → peace
Media witnesses, who were allowed into the witness room at 6.26pm before her execution, said Pike spoke what she thought would be her last words.
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she → allow → execution
“I’m going to leave this world the way I spent most of my life,” she said, according to Nashville Banner.
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she → go → Banner
Pike said she loved her detractors as much as she loved the people who were on her side.
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who → say → side
“I’m at peace, I’m ready to be free.
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I → ’m → peace
This is a happy day,” she finished.
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she → finish → ?
Pike spoke during the process, telling witnesses: "My arm feels like it's about to burst open."
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it → speak → witnesses
Witnesses reported being surprised by how much she spoke in the early stages of the process as she and her spiritual adviser also sang a song.
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she → surprise → song
Later, they said, her breathing got laboured, but she did not appear to be in distress.
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she → say → distress
Tennessee defends its handling of Christa Pike execution
Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson Dorinda Carter defended the agency's handling of the execution.
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Carter → defend → execution
“The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State's lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General's Office,” she said in a statement to the Tennessean newspaper.
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she → follow → newspaper
“The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening.
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what → allow → procedures
Christa Pike has been transported to an off-site medical facility."
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Pike → transport → facility
Pike's lawyers rejected that account in their statement to the newspaper.
"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution.
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State → reject → execution
We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy.
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that → take → secrecy
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Pike being provided 'life-saving measures' in hospital
The execution had already been delayed for hours after a panel of the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay to allow further review of her legal challenges.
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panel → provide → challenges
The US Supreme Court later lifted that stay at Tennessee's request in a 6-3 decision, allowing the execution to proceed before Pike's death warrant expired at midnight.
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warrant → lift → midnight
Pike's federal public defenders told the Tennessee Supreme Court she was "still alive and snoring" and asked the court to immediately halt the process.
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she → tell → process
"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," her attorneys, Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason, said.
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attorneys → fail → execution
Pike was later taken to hospital where she was "being provided life-saving measures”, one of her attorneys told the BBC.
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one → take → BBC
Christa Pike rushed to Tennessee hospital after surviving two lethal injections
Tennessee failed in its attempt to execute Christa Pike, who survived and was rushed to hospital late on Wednesday despite being administered two doses of a lethal drug.
Pike was due to be the first woman put to death in the state in 200 years, after a court overturned a late stay of execution.
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court → rush → execution
Experts say her survival is unprecedented.
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survival → say → ?
The attempted execution took place at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville at about 8pm local time.
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execution → attempt → pm
Pike, 50, was being executed for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student she tortured and killed when she was 18.
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she → execute → Slemmer
Officials administered pentobarbital to Pike twice, and witnesses reported the curtain to the execution chamber was drawn and reopened on two separate occasions as the procedure continued.
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procedure → administer → occasions
Reporters present were eventually told to leave, according to the Associated Press.
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Reporters → tell → Press
The Aporia
